


The Man Who Breathes Fire

by notyourleo



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Abandonment, Adulthood, F/M, Gen, Original Characters - Freeform, Timeskip, eventual and very subtle leo/piper, the leo/piper tag is how i sucker my liper readers to read this fanfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 03:53:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,869
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22537315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notyourleo/pseuds/notyourleo
Summary: Leo is cursed with a disease that is killing him slowly. He left his family and friends behind in the pretext of finding a cure but instead had settled down in hiding, to protect the ones he loves. However, monsters keep haunting him, to remind him of the past, and who he had left behind. [Updated for 2020.]
Relationships: Jason Grace & Piper McLean, Piper McLean/Leo Valdez
Comments: 3
Kudos: 8





	1. Suncliffe Crest

**Author's Note:**

> List of non-spoiler major updates:  
> \- The point-of-view has been changed from first person to third person. For the most part, the majority of the text is unchanged except for a few additions, subtractions, and word choice.  
> \- Canadianized English.  
> \- The story’s five chapters will be split into smaller chapters due to the length of the originals, especially the last chapter. I strive to at least post 1 chapter each week if not every day.  
> Original story run: March 30, 2013 – March 24, 2015 @ https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9151977/1/The-Man-Who-Breathes-Fire  
> 2nd reprint run: February 03, 2020 - Present
> 
> I dedicated this fanfic to Theah, my youngest sister. When I originally wrote this in 2013, she was prematurely born and had lots of health complications. She is now healthy and turning 7 this year, and this updated reprint is dedicated to her still.

**THE MAN WHO BREATHES FIRE**

* * *

**\- October 2023 -**

* * *

It was a quiet Halloween in Suncliffe Crest. It was also a sunny late afternoon, which was a good time to start trick-or-treating, but there were no kids around. A few of the houses were still empty, with House for Sale signs on their front lawns, abandoned because of the housing crisis just months ago. Two kids were running in the middle of the small road, a brother and a sister, their laughs filling the whole silent street. They carried with them a small white box each. Cakes. There were new residents in the neighbourhood, and the children—with the blessing of their family—wanted to welcome their new neighbours. They had just bought the cakes from the neighbourhood's only surviving bakeshop. It was owned by a stout man with a plump red face and a funny nose, but he always had a smile in his face.

The boy was grinning to his sister when he noticed a man on the porch of a one-storey house. He looked at this new stranger curiously. Then he tapped on his sister's shoulder and pointed at the mysterious man with his lips. The man just looked at them. He was a new neighbour as well, who had just moved in today. The man smiled and waved to them. They smiled back and—because of the cakes in their hands—they nodded to him instead of waving, and continued walking toward their destination. The man entertained around the idea of these children telling their parents about another new neighbour and then throwing a party here in this place.

Leo Valdez looked inside his new house. It was still completely empty, no furniture or appliances. There was a worn mattress fit for two people that he had found in the basement (how a worn mattress happened in a newly built house, he had yet to find out). It was in the middle of what could have been the living room. His bag was on the top of the mattress. He didn't think that this place was fit for visitors right then.

Moving inside, he took out his few clothes, and placed them besides the bed, on the floor. His tool belt sat on the edge of the dirty mattress. There were a few other curiosities in the bag, but he left them in there.

There was nothing for him to do, so he went out for dinner. The nearby restaurants were almost full. He was lucky to be able to sneak into a seat. There were a lot of kids around him, all wearing costumes and holding up their bags full of candy to their parents. Leo saw that the restaurant was having some Halloween dishes on their menu for the occasion. On his table was a Halloween party hat. Well, there was nothing bad about wearing it, so why not? He took it and placed it on his head, be like one of the crowd for a change.

Leo looked back, thought about his new neighbourhood. Suncliffe Crest didn't have plenty of kids running around Trick-or-Treating. Was it a private neighbourhood? It was too quiet for him, to be honest. But maybe quiet was what he needed right now. Leo watched the kids grinning to their parents. The adults made jokes and patted their kids' heads. It was noisy around him. He ate in silence.

After dinner, he walked back to his new home, but when he arrived at the street, he saw that the neighbourhood was dark. So dark, he could barely see anything at all when he turned to the corner. The streetlamps were out, no lights in any house, and it was eerily quiet.

Leo walked cautiously in the middle of the road. Maybe there was a blackout. He was tempted to summon a small fire for some light, but he fought it for now. A cold wind blew past him. He suddenly felt a presence. Someone with negative air.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood. "Who's there?" Leo said. This time he did summon fire. It was small on his palm, but it was enough to see a few yards around him. No one answered. He kept moving slowly. He wished he brought his tool belt. Or a small weapon. Like a knife.

No one answered. But Leo heard a coin being tossed in the air, and it landed on the ground. Cling!

He walked to the direction of the sound and searched the ground. He had to glance up a lot in case this was a distraction. Eventually, he found the coin. It was big than most of the coins that were commonly seen around here. He knelt down.

A drachma.

Leo reached out for it, but then held his hand back. He quickly looked around. Someone was following him.

"Hey! Show yourself!" He shouted. He waited for gods knew how long. The presence was gone. The lights of the neighbourhood were suddenly up. It almost blinded him, his eyes trying to adjust. There was some activity inside of the houses. He quickly extinguished the little fire he made by shaking his hand rapidly. He wanted to leave the drachma on the ground, but he picked it up and put it in his pocket. Leo quickly went to his house and locked the door behind him. He didn't open the lights, but he opened the windows, letting the lights from outside come in. He took out the coin again and examined it. There was nothing dangerous. But it couldn't have just appeared out of anywhere.

He considered using the drachma. Call someone. Call my friends. Call home.

Leo closed his fingers on the coin instead and made his way to bed. He stared at the ceiling for a long time, clutching the drachma to his chest. A lot of times he wanted to get up and go to the bathroom to Iris-message home. A few times he was unnerved that someone stalked him all the way here just to bring this coin. He cheered himself up by making jokes about it. But nobody here would probably get the punchline if he told the joke to them. Not his mortal neighbours.

Leo was alone here. He closed my eyes.

* * *

**\- November 2023 -**

* * *

Old Suncliffe Crest wasn't exactly abandoned before it was gentrified. Leo went to the local bakeshop the next morning, learned that Mr Santiago was one of the surviving residents of the old Suncliffe Crest (once called Palewell St), apparently, before everything else was demolished and replaced with new homes. His bakeshop stood out, which was the only grey building in the sea of colourful tall houses. How his building remained when everything else went away, Leo was going to ask in another day.

"I'm planning on painting the whole place," he said to Leo when he decided to stay for some chat after making a purchase. (Nothing bad on getting to know the neighbours, right?) "Beige looks good for the old thing, wouldn't it?"

"I guess so," Leo said. He investigated his bag of delicacies he just bought from the baker. Some of them made his mouth water. He took something out and ate it.

"So you just came from Oakland?" Mr Santiago asked.

Leo nodded. "Aye, mate," he said, with his mouth partly full. "I move around a lot, but I came from California, although I was born and raised here in Texas."

"A Texan? You?" Mr Santiago brightened up. "Ah, of course, you are! Coming back to the old frontier, I see? A lot has changed, recently. A lot has been changing in small amounts of time."

"Yeah, I don't recognize almost anything anymore." Leo rubbed his hands together to brush off the sugar. "But still the same sun."

"The same sun." The baker nodded. He looked somewhere beyond Leo, with nostalgic eyes. Leo decided this was time he should leave him. He thanked him for the chat and the pastries, turned around and—

—came in front of Leo was a man around his age. His face was friendly, cheeks with dimples, and he had bright eyes. Two kids were behind him. It was the kids Leo saw yesterday.

The father nodded to him and made his way around Leo and greeted the baker rather cheerfully. His kids trailed behind him, smiling.

Leo was almost, almost at the door, when the man called to him. "Hey there, new neighbour! Where are you going?"

Damn. So close.

He turned and managed to grin at the father. "Hey."

The man moved towards him with his paper bag of bread and his two kids. "My kids told me about you." (The children grinned at Leo apologetically.) He offered his hand. "I'm Charles, your friendly neighbourhood doctor. These are my kids, Edeva and Robert."

Leo took his hand and shook it. "Leo, your friendly neighbourhood mechanic."

Charles grinned. "You know, I like you already. I was sort of eavesdropping on your conversation with Mr Santiago. How about we come over to your house for lunch later? We could invite the neighbours as well."

This man was probably the friendliest person (or the most foolish person) Leo met in his entire life. Leo thought about his house, how there was literally almost nothing inside of it. Really not fit for people to party.

"Ah, sorry, my house is not in shape right now." He smiled apologetically.

"Still unpacking?" Charles said. "We could help you with that."

Leo laughed. "No, I mean, there's barely anything in the house."

"Well, have lunch with us then. We don't bite." Charles patted his shoulder. His hand was a bit heavy, so Leo’s shoulder almost dropped under his weight. And before he knew it, Leo was inside the Castel house, a two-storey beauty with very neat interior and structure. The house was located at the corner of the street, a long walk from his own house.

Charles introduced his wife, Mari, and she also had heard about Leo from their kids. She was pregnant, carrying an eight-month-old baby in her belly, and they were expecting the little kid to be born soon. She was busy preparing lunch. Leo offered himself for any help, but the couple pushed him down in front of the living room TV with Edeva and Robert.

The two kids were really focused on the movie they were watching. It was some sort of noir film, black and white, violins for background music. There were two people, a man and a woman, talking to each other. The words they used were rather deep. Leo looked down to the children. They didn't seem to look bored. Then the people on the TV leaned closer and kissed. The kids' eyes were still glued on the picture. Hmmm…

"Yuck, they're kissing each other." Leo cringed.

Their attention turned to him. "But kissing is not bad, right?" Edeva said. "Kissing is harmless."

Leo wrinkled his nose. "Harmless? You'll get cooties!"

"Cooties?" Robert said. "What are cooties?"

"You don't want to know what cooties are," Leo said. But to be honest, he didn't know what it was, too, other than, yeah, some sort of childlore disease. "But they give you plenty of germs that will make you sick."

"Where do you get cooties?"

"From girls." Leo looked at Edeva. "And boys. You want?"

"But you said you have to kiss someone to have cooties."

"But I have cooties." Leo pretended to cough. "Here." He pretended to lick his palm and put it near her face. She backed away and screamed, suppressing a giggle behind her brother's back.

"What's wrong, honey?" Her mom shouted from the kitchen.

"Uncle Leo is giving me cooties!" she shouted back.

Apparently, Mari had heard her wrong, because she said, "Awww, that's sweet, honey."

Leo left the children to their TV and headed to the kitchen, where Mari was cooking over a pot and Charles was on the phone, rambling cheerfully.

"Is there really no help I can give?" He asked. Leo half-wished he wouldn't be here. He also wished that Mari wouldn't be moving so much. Perhaps he wasn't really used to living "normal" or be around "normal-normal" people for almost two decades.

Mari finally gave in and assigned him a task of setting out a number of plates on the table. (But first, she made sure Leo washed his hands.) Not long after that, visitors came to the front door and Charles was more than happy to welcome them in. There was at least half a dozen, and they introduced themselves to Leo and he shook their hands. Well, most of them. There was one old lady who looked at him up and down, sniffed in disgust, and walked away to join the kids in the living room. Everyone called her Mrs. Nils, one of the old residents of Palewell Street. And there was this good-looking guy around Leo’s age—the early 30s—who stared at him hard before joining her. He wore neat clothes and a clean hair-cut. His name, the neighbours said, was Johnson de'Amore, or John, since he'd like to be called that. Somehow, he reminded Leo of Dylan.

Lunch was okay. Lively. Everyone was full. They asked Leo loads of questions, a few of them too personal for him. He tried his best to answer most of them. Telling them about his history was not an option. Once, the conversation was going to steer that way. Then he said, "Hey! Dessert!" And there was ice cream.

After lunch, most of the neighbours joined the kids in the living room. Leo stayed in the kitchen cleaning up with Mrs Santiago (the baker's wife, duh), and Rook, her grown-up son.

"The children are such angels," sighed Mrs Santiago, taking the clean dishes from Leo and wiping them with a towel before placing them in a dish rack. "There's something special about them, I know. They're pretty darlings. I wish we could have children again."

"Do you have secret children, Leo?" Rook grinned at him, nudging his ribs. "A cute guy like you shouldn't be single. Or, you know…" He winked.

Before Leo could say anything, Mrs Santiago sniffed, "Now, Rook, that's rude."

"Ma, I'm not twelve anymore. I can flirt all I want."

"It's good that they are having another child," Mrs Santiago appeared to ignore Rook. "They are such a nice couple. While giving Edeva and Rob a home was a great thing, it probably would be the hardest decision they made, back then, I mean. They thought it was probably the only option they had and had finally given up trying."

"Wait." Leo gave her the last dish and wiped his hands with a towel. "You mean the kids…"

"Are adopted." Mrs Santiago finished for him. "But the children don't know. They were adopted right before they even knew their real mothers. So please, we'd rather not have anyone break it to them. Bless them, those children, they found a new home."

"Excuse me," Leo said. His lungs were burning. He walked out of the kitchen and found himself in the bathroom. He went to the sink and coughed. Nothing appeared on it, but he was coughing up fire, which quickly turned to white smoke and filled the room.

Leo took a clean towel from the cabinet and quickly swapped it around to make the smoke disappear. Then he went back to the sink to wash his face and drank some water to cool his tongue. He looked at his face at the mirror for a while, wiping the fog from it. With his face clean, Leo saw dark shades under his eyes, and a few battle scars that had faded a long time ago, now hidden in plain sight. He moved closer and traced a long one that went through one of his eyebrows.

Leo shook his head. He went out and took a peek at the crowd of the living room. Almost everyone was laughing at some story except for Mrs Nils, who look gruff and was covering her ears. She didn't appear to like the crowd.

The Castel children were the life of the party. Looking closely, they didn't resemble their parents at all. The kids had sharper facial features. And they looked vaguely familiar.

Leo didn't realize that Johnson was staring hard at him until he caught his eye. Something in the way he looked at Leo didn't seem so polite. After they stared at each other for a while, he turned his attention back at the kids, giving them a wide smile when they looked at him. But the expressions of both children were indifferent.

Most of the neighbours went home late afternoon, including Leo, while a few wanted to stay for dinner. Mrs Nils lived at the house next to his, so, unfortunately, they had to walk together. He heard a lot of mumbling and cursing, accompanied with not-so-happy glances at him.

Suddenly a hand clamped on his shoulder. The force was so heavy this time Leo did fall down on his knees.

"Sorry, partner," someone said behind him. Leo looked up and saw John towering him. "Don't know my own strength nowadays."

He quickly stood up and brushed his knees. "Yeah, what's up?"

"I just came to say I'm sorry that I've been giving you a bad impression of myself back there," he said. "This always happens when there's a new face in the neighbourhood." There was some sort of aura in him that Leo couldn't place. Although it felt familiar…

Leo let one of his eyebrows rise up. "Always on guard, huh."

"Haha, you can say that." His laugh was forced. Again, another thing Leo kept in mind. He offered a hand. "Let's start again. John de'Amore."

"Leo Valdez." He shook his hand. His grip turned firm.

For a second, John's mouth twitched, turning into a straight line. "Familiar name. Have I heard you somewhere?"

"Maybe. But I never heard of you anywhere." The friendly look in his eyes changed now. He was trying to see past through Leo. He stared at him back, trying to fight his gaze.

"Well, I must be heading back to my place." He smiled and let go of Leo’s hand. It was numb, throbbing, and red. "I will see you again."

"Yeah, you too." Leo hid his hands behind himself smiled back and nodded.

He turned his back on Leo and started to walk away. But ten steps later, he looked back and said, "You be careful around here. This may be a new neighbourhood, but a lot of old spirits still lurk around in the corners." He flashed Leo a grin that could mean anything but friendly. His teeth were shiny white.


	2. New Year's Eve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, since I've been slowly replacing "I/me/my" with "he/him/his", it takes up a lot of work and my eyes often glaze up, so if you spot a wild "I/me/my" in the main narration, please let me know so I could capture it and replace it! Thanks for your patience! :)

**\- December 2023 -**

* * *

It had been a month since Leo moved back here, in a neighbourhood to San Antonio, Texas. Christmas was coming, so everyone was already putting up lights and decorations, going for Christmas shopping often, and had started planning their _Noche Buena_. Some planned to go on a vacation. Leo made an effort to put up a few lights so his house could blend in with the others. But Mrs Nils didn't bother putting up any, even when some of the neighbors offered to do the job with their own extra lights. John de'Amore's was the brightest of the houses. So bright, just staring at it from a distance could make you go blind already. (Leo wondered how his power bills were doing.)

After their talk last month with John warning him about this place, he wasn't exactly on Leo’s trust list. Yet his advice helped him, too. His first day in the neighbourhood was proof that Leo still needed to be on guard, even against the good-looking dudes. He made a habit to carry a small weapon everywhere. He was out in the open. He was surrounded by either mortals or monsters.

Speaking of John, he was avoiding Leo, too, despite their rather “friendly” introduction. His face was stone hard whenever Leo was among the neighbours, his voice low when he talked to him, and when Leo was with the kids, especially with Edeva and Robert, he sneered at him. Leo studied this behaviour, and he learned to stay with the kids often.

Because he was alone in the house right now, Leo was free to breathe. He took deep, slow breaths, calming and controlling his body heat. But white smoke came out of his nostrils and mouth, and his tongue was blazing. At that moment, he wished he had a glass of water. His friends in the camps jokingly called it his dragon breath, but it worried them the moment they saw him breathing fire. It was some sort of disorder. The more Leo was growing up, with his body adapting with the heat, the more unstable his pyrokinesis would become. He would often combust at random times (even when he wasn't excited, angry or scared), sometimes setting fire at whatever was around. This was one of the reasons he had to leave home.

For a moment he thought about his friends at camp. How they were going to spend Christmas without him. He looked out of the window and saw Edeva, Robert, and a few other neighbourhood kids running around the street playing tag. His heart sank. _If only…_

There was a loud knock on the door that startled him. He quickly made his way to the door and answered it. Behind was Mrs Nils. He held my breath immediately, pushing down the fire to his lungs.

"May I come in?" Her voice was brisk and rusted like she had not used it for a long time. Her white hair was tied up untidily, and she was smaller than Leo, but the way she looked at him made him feel small.

"Ummm, sure," he said, opening the door wide for her. She walked slowly inside and he closed the door behind them. "Do you want something to drink, Mrs Nils?"

She snorted, but she said, "Tea would be fine if you have some."

"Uh, I have only green tea, if that's okay."

"That is fine." She settled herself down on the couch while Leo dived to the kitchen to prepare the tea she wanted.

When he came back with a cup, Mrs Nils' eyes moved to and fro the house, her gaze stopping on an object for two seconds or so. She probably must be criticizing Leo for lack of furniture, decorations, how spacious the place was, maybe thinking about wrong Feng Shui.

He handed her the tea, and she took it silently. He didn't sit down. She was here for a reason, so he waited for her to talk. She finished her tea quickly. When she still didn't speak, he decided to break the ice. "So what brings you here, Mrs Nils?"

She looked at him, her eyes were suddenly cold. "I know you, young man," she started, holding her tea on her lap. "I have a sharp memory."

He straightened up. What did she mean? Something about her air changed. His hand made a reach to his pocket, at a pocket knife made out of Celestial Bronze. If she was going to become a monster (as some old ladies had a habit to, learning from his experiences), he’d better be prepared for it. His tool belt was behind her. Really needed to bring the thing around for emergencies.

Leo forced himself to smile. "What do you mean, Mrs Nils?"

The old woman sniffed. Then she stared at him for the longest time. Gradually, her eyes started to warm back, and her voice normal, like any grandma, which threw him off. "There is something fishy about you," she said casually. "Something familiar. Have we met before, Mr Valdez?"

A lot of people seemed to say that to him. "I don't think so, ma'am," he withdrew his hand without taking out anything and placed it behind his back.

Her head tilted to one side and squinted at Leo. Then she sighed. She looked at him sternly again. "Then I have no business. Thank you for the tea." She stood up and moved to the door. He tried to run ahead of her to open the exit for her, but she was already there. Outside the children had taken out their bicycles and skateboards and were riding up and down the road. Mrs Nils held the knob of the door, glanced at the children with an unreadable expression, and then stared at Leo one more time. "But, for the sake of the neighbourhood, stay away from the children." She slammed the door shut.

* * *

Leo didn't meet up with any of the neighbours after the initial housewarming party until the Castels invited him again for Christmas Eve. He had already told them about his funding, that he didn't have a day job so he couldn't afford to buy presents. When they heard that he was spending Christmas alone, they got excited and pulled him inside their house. It was the morning of Christmas Eve, and he was with the Castels helping them prepare for the big evening feast. While almost everyone in the neighbourhood had their own Christmas dinner, and a few were out to visit their relatives. The Santiagos were also invited in by the Castels, so he wasn't alone.

Mari went to invite Mrs Nils, since the old croon was "as lonely as Leo", but said old croon sniffed, and spat, "No." Then she slammed her front door shut at Mari's face.

On the subject of Mrs Nils, Leo could never forget the time she visited him. Somehow it disturbed him. The more he interacted with some of the neighbours here, the more he was becoming guarded. Not that he wasn't on his guard already when he came here. Still, anyone would freak out when somebody declared that she knew him.

Also, what about the kids? Why did she want Leo to stay away from them?

"Mrs Nils says that to every newcomer," Rook, the Santiagos’ son, said to him, this morning of Christmas Eve. Leo told him about Mrs Nils' visit a few days ago, when they were having coffee in the living room with the kids. "'Stay away from those darlings!' she says. Heh. Even me." He grumbled.

"You don't look so dangerous," Leo joked.

"It's funny because I live in this neighbourhood ever since I was born." He grinned. "But she keeps staring at you, I noticed. Maybe she's got something for you."

"Oh god, no." Leo’s face paled, finishing his coffee. Rook just burst out laughing, hitting Leo’s shoulder a bit hard. The children were overhearing the conversation and laughed with the man. They were probably laughing because of Leo’s funny expression.

Charles appeared from the kitchen doorway to check upon them. "Hey kids, don't forget to visit Uncle John and deliver his presents for us since he's sick."

The kids stopped laughing, moved their bright faces from Leo and Rook to their dad, and then in an instant, their expression darkened. "Can we do it next time?" Edeva said.

"Oh, sweetheart. He asked for you two to deliver his presents today. You know Uncle John for so long now, and he has been really kind to you. Do this small favour for him? I'm sure he'll be really glad to see you."

The children looked down to their feet. The father sighed. "Alright then. Tomorrow or the next day." He turned back to the kitchen.

"I don't want to go to Uncle John," grumbled Edeva, her face grim. All the merriment in the air had disappeared.

"Why not?" Leo said, moving down to sit on the floor next to the kids. "Don't you like Uncle John?"

Robert and Edeva looked at each other. "No, it's…"

The doorbell rang. Rook stood up to answer it. Much to the children's dismay, John appeared behind the door, smiling weakly.

"Good timing," Mari's head appeared in the kitchen doorway. "I thought you aren't feeling well."

"I am not feeling well," said John. "But I feel bad that you have to walk a long way to my bright, bright home to deliver my presents. Besides, I can't wait to open them tomorrow."

Mari smiled. "Okay then. Kids, could you get Uncle John's presents? And Rook, can you help me out with this turkey?"

"Right away, madam." Rook let John in, closed the door, and disappeared to the kitchen. John stood in the middle of the living room, looking down on Leo and the kids, accompanied with a big menacing shadow over us.

"I thought you were sick," Robert mumbled, looking back down to his toes.

John only smiled at him and ruffled the boy's hair. The children stood up and went to the Christmas tree to find John's presents.

"Haven't seen you in a while," John said, looking at Leo.

He shrugged. "Haven't seen you around either."

"Yes." The corner of his lips twitched. "That's because you're everywhere."

The kids were back and handed John a big wrapped box. The man took it politely. Then he looked at Leo again. "Would it be rude to say you're starting to annoy me?" His voice was low and deadly.

Leo smiled. His fingers drummed slowly on his lap. "Not really. A lot of people said that I'm annoying, and I'm used to it."

"I see then." John’s eyes squinted. "You say you are from Oakland, California?"

"I've stayed there for a good amount of time, yeah."

He sniffed. Not as if he had a cold, but like he was trying to smell something. He sneered, baring his teeth. Leo could see fangs. "Of course. Demigod."

The children cowered behind Leo, clinging to his clothes, their eyes wide with fright. They were probably seeing more than the older demigod could right now. There was a thick amount of Mist around John. Leo didn't feel anything until now.

Leo grinned. "I guess you're the one who randomly threw me that drachma in my first day. Hi. About time you revealed yourself." His fingers made way to grab his pocket knife. Damn it, he forgot my tool belt again.

He took out his knife, John's hands turned into big hooves, and he was about to make a grab for Robert when Rook's head appeared in the kitchen doorway. "How's everyone doing?"

In two seconds, Leo’s knife went under his butt, John's hands went back to normal, and both of them were smiling to Rook, with one of them managed to give him a thumbs-up. Edeva and Robert, on the other hand, still looked terrified, and Leo’s shirt was getting creased by their hold on his clothes.

"We're doing fine, Rook," John said to him, managing a wave. He picked up his big Christmas present, which he dropped on the sofa when he was showing his true colors. "Just playing a game," he said through clenched teeth, managing a grin.

"Oh, yeah, Mari asks if you want to stay for lunch, John."

"Uncle John is a monster!" Edeva shouted, pointing at him, "He has—"

Leo quickly covered her mouth. "Not too loud, Ed! Not too loud!" He forced a laugh, and John joined me.

"She's not lying!" This time Robert said that. "He has fangs and—"

Leo placed another hand on Robert's mouth too. "The game is over, guys!"

Rook's eyes darted between Leo, John, and the kids, and the man was no doubt confused and worried.

"I think I won't be staying for lunch," John said. "See you around Rook, Leo…"

Leo nodded to him and waved, watched him out of the house. "See you."

Rook, still looking baffled, shrugged and disappeared back to the kitchen. Leo and the children remained on the floor for a while, staring at the door, expecting John to come back.

"You can see what we're seeing, uncle?" Edeva’s voice quivered, tears welling up.

Leo pulled the children close to him, almost to a hug. "Yeah."

* * *

Leo stayed for a few nights in the Castel residence. They tried to entertain him a few times, and sometimes he did feel better when they talked a lot more about themselves. He laughed at their jokes. The children huddled around him all the time he was in the house. They seemed to feel safe around him. Leo expected them to ask questions. Why could he see what they could see? Why did their uncle John call him demigod? And definitely, why were they considered food to him?

Leo wished there was a time for him to at least explain to them who they really were. Tell them about their possible biological parents--who were Greek gods. That would mean Leo has to tell them that Mari and Charles were not their real parents.

But Leo’s time with the Castel family made him see a close relationship between the parents and the children. Even though it was important to bring the children to safety right away (Leo _did_ have a soft side for children, and he grew to care for them like a dad), not to mention they had a monster for a neighbour, he didn't want to break the family apart.

On New Year's Eve, he sat down with Mari and Charles in the dining room one late afternoon. The family was planning on going to a relative's home to celebrate the occasion. They were already packed for the night and tomorrow, and they had let the children play outside before they were sent to their aunt's house, and the kids promised that they would be around to be called.

"Camp?" Mari asked Leo, looking slightly confused. "You're suggesting we send our kids to a camp?"

Leo nodded. "Yeah, for the summer. I know this really cool camp that Ed and Rob will totally love. I went there since I was a kid, too. There are two of them, really. One in New York and one in California. I went to both."

"But that's really far!" Charles said. "Is it _really_ worth the trouble to send our kids that far?"

"Really. I wish I could show you some brochures for it."

"Maybe I'll look them up on the internet. But I doubt I'll send the kids to any of the camps."

"Trust me; it's really great in both places."

"Why are you so interested in sending them to these camps?" Mari squinted a bit. She was probably thinking Leo was sending them to a child trafficking centre, and to be perfectly fair, that was a fair assumption. Leo was eagerly advocating for Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter without telling them what the camps exactly were. "It's probably expensive there."

"No, no, everything is free."

Both parents arched an eyebrow each.

Leo scratched the back of his head. It was really tough to explain without blurting something that would alienate them. "I've got an idea. Why don't you call either of the camps? Make inquiries when everyone's home?"

The entire time Leo was talking, Charles was sitting close to Mari, a hand on her belly and occasionally rubbing it, and in doing so, his kind eyes changed into something else, like he was suddenly a cautious person trying to look past Leo. Like John and Mrs Nils. Did he know his children were…special in some special way? Leo doubted it. Maybe it was fatherly instincts. Something that Leo didn't have.

Charles looked at his wristwatch. "We better get going now. Let's get the kids."

"Alright." Mari stood from her seat, and then, all of a sudden, she was holding her belly, her face contorted in pain.

Charles and Leo quickly stood up, and that was when he noticed that she was…well, leaking.

Leo decided to point out the obvious. "Her water broke."

"Not right now, sweety!" Charles cursed. "Come on, let's bring you to the hospital quick."

Mari groaned in response, and he guided her out of the house and into their car. Leo looked around their home for some towels and ran to follow them. Charles glanced at the neighbourhood for a moment. "Where are the kids?"

His wife moaned loudly at the back of the car. ("That sounds painful, buddy," Leo said.) Leo gave her the towels to avoid possibly any other leakage. (The car looked really nice, too.)

"Don't worry," Leo said. "I'll go find and look after them. You go and take her to the hospital."

"Right. Thanks." He got into the car, started the engine, and drove away. When they were almost out of the street, Leo turned around. The whole street was empty. No kids. No laughter. Just pure silence.

A lump grew inside his throat. His demigod instincts were tingling. "Ed? Rob?" He called out. Of course, they couldn't hear him. They could be inside of their friend's house, just hanging out. Did he hear kids playing outside when he was talking to Charles and Mari? He didn't have super-hearing, but he was positive the children were the loudest bunch. And Ed and Rob both _knew_ they were supposed to go to their aunt, and they had promised that they would be nearby to be called out. No, no, Leo knew enough of Edeva and Robert. He knew, right now, that he feared the worst.

Leo didn't realize that it was getting dark already. He made a dash across the street. He was going to stop at John's house. But he stopped on his tracks. He was going there unprepared. Leo went to his home first, getting a dagger and his tool belt. He wasn't used to fighting with a small weapon, but he was good with tool belting. Leo was glad that he didn't forget about it this time.

The street was dark by the time he came out of the house. Many of the houses were empty, save for those who were going to spend New Years in their own dining tables. Street lamps were lit. The neighbours had already taken down their Christmas lights, except for John's, so when Leo began his approach to his home, it was hard to see anything beyond the lights. It was _that_ bright.

Leo walked to the door with caution, hiding the dagger under his clothes. And then he knocked at the door casually.

He waited there for longer than a minute. When he was growing impatient and worried, he turned back and thought about sneaking to the back of the house or breaking in forcefully when the door opened. "Oh, I've been waiting for you." Leo heard John behind him. "I thought you wouldn't come. I was about to eat the kids, really."

Leo stopped, didn't turn to look at the monster. When he finally did, he threw the pocket knife at him.

He dodged sideways, the knife hitting the door frame, where he was leaning before. He laughed, clutching his stomach. This behaviour threw Leo off. "You missed me."

Leo took out another dagger and charged at him. John backed inside his house when Leo slashed at him horizontally, shamelessly trying to suppress a chuckle. Inside, Leo saw Edeva and Robert sitting on chairs, shaking, their eyes red from crying.

Leo’s guard, at that moment, went down, and John took the opportunity to elbow him on the face. The force was heavy; Leo fell down on his back and tasted blood in his mouth. John knelt on his stomach, held his shoulders, and revealed his teeth. No, not teeth. Ridged bones. The children screamed. Either because of the teeth, or they were screaming for Leo.

Leo found the dagger again and dug the blade to the side of the monster’s knee. John howled and held his leg. Leo pushed him to the side and slashed his neck. The latter writhed on the floor, shaking and clutching his wounds, silver blood oozing through his fingers. Leo stood up and ran to the children. They got out of the chairs and hugged him, crying on his shirt. He patted their backs. "It's gonna be alright, guys. Let's get out of here."

John's cries behind them transitioned to laughter. Leo looked around and saw him standing up, brushing away dust from his clothes. His wounds were still there, but they were dry. "Now, now, my friend, let's all be civil men here."

The children moved behind the older demigod’s back. Leo pulled them closer to him. "Good, because I have a question. Did you really need to wait for me to eat these kids?"

Leo probably shouldn't have said that, because the children looked horrified, and backed away at the corner of the room.

John shrugged casually. "Bahaha, that's a good question, demigod. Just that I want you out of the way, but I don't mind you in my feast. You're still like _them_. When I learned that you've come here, I thought it was going to be tough getting the children. I've been following them--grooming them to like me--for months. Almost two years. Growing half-bloods are a drag, but they have good, strong, juicy meat."

Leo spat, “You’re disgusting."

John dropped on all fours, the Mist around him shimmered, and his skin bubbled, literally. In no time, Leo was staring at a creature with a body of a stag, lion's neck, and _really_ sharp cloven hooves. It was as tall as Leo’s chest, which was bad.

The children shook in their corners, shaking and screaming. Leo took a smoke grenade from the tool belt and threw it to John's face. It dodged it without a sweat, but the grenade hit the wall, and in just a few moments the whole room was filled with smoke. Leo quickly grabbed the children's hands and dragged them out of the house, far up to the street. "Get out of here," he said. "Go hide."

"Who are you, uncle?" Robert cried.

"Don't worry, I'm not a monster. I'm just like you two, I promise. Now go and hide. Call for help."

"We don't want to leave you," Edeva choked, clinging to her brother.

Just when Leo was going to say something, John pounced on him, bringing his face to the ground. The monster’s sharp hooves stomped his back, and then it bit his shoulder. Leo screamed in pain, rolled and pushed John away. His right arm couldn't move and his clothes were already soaked with blood.

The children stumbled away from the fight, John saw them running, and Leo took the moment to strike the side of John’s body using his left hand to wield the dagger. But when the blade hit the hide, only the tip of the dagger entered. John the monster looked at Leo and snarled. Leo dropped the weapon, backed inside the house and the stag-like creature followed suit. Leo had only five seconds to think. This fight was too fast-paced for him. With his monster form, Leo couldn't harm John. He had only one plan, which was, in his book, not really good.

Leo ducked into a room, and when John followed, he slammed the door to its face before he entered. Leo rummaged around his tool belt, took out a whip. He gave it a test by slicing the air with it. _SNAP!_ The tip recoiled towards me, slashing my cheek across, and he flinched.

The door broke down and came charging the monster, baring its bone-teeth. Leo held the whip with both hands, like a sword, rubbing the handle a little bit. Small sparks flew. He took deep breaths. Fire came out of his mouth. It was good to breathe free.

Leo slashed the whip at John, and it recoiled. His injured right arm ached, so he switched his grip to his left hand. He whipped it again, but this time it wasn't as accurate since he hit the monster’s left side, and it didn't seem to be affected by the attack.

He managed to get out of the room, slipping past John, barely missing a hoof stomp to the face, and climbed up to the second floor of the house. Leo looked at the whip. He gripped it tightly, and from his fingers, he set the handle on fire, and it was slowly going down to the tip of the weapon.

When John was behind him, Leo turned and lashed the whip at it. He got lucky; the whip tied itself on one of the monster's front legs. Leo used all his strength to pull, and the monster lost its balance. He forced his weapon away from the legs and lashed at the window curtains. They set fire easily, and it quickly spread through the others until they were all on the floor, now setting fire on the carpets.

Leo was getting dizzy. His arms were getting numb, and his shoulder wound was opening up. John looked all around itself. When it learned that it was surrounded with flames, he gave Leo one good pounce again, and opened its mouth wide, about to eat his head. Leo pushed his palm at its chest, his right hand to its face, summoned fire, and left impressions on both places. John shuddered and recoiled, and Leo pushed away from it. 

Now John looked really agitated, trying to shake off the burn marks on itself. Leo took his flaming whip and managed one last smack to its face before running around it, hopping to its back and tying the whip around its neck. It struggled, rampaging around the hall, knocking itself on the walls, trying to throw him off. Leo tightened the whip around him, dropped down and backed away. The monster was trying to bite away from the whip. The flames were all around it, closing in. The second floor groaned, and debris started to fall down. Leo decided to leave the monster, stumbled his way down the stairs and out of the house. He looked back and saw the second floor crumbling down to the first floor, setting the whole building on fire. If Leo couldn't kill him with weapons, then let him burn inside.

The children were out of sight, probably in hiding. But when Leo looked around, he saw Mrs Nils standing in the middle of the road, watching, a cane held by both of her hands. Her face was grim, and because of the fire behind Leo and the darkness, there were more shadows and wrinkles in her face than usual.

She saw Leo breathing smoke, his wounds and shredded clothes, and, of course, the burning house. She pointed her finger at him. It was growing longer, and longer…

Leo summoned fire in his right hand, forced himself to move, and charged to her. The closer Leo approached, the more her expression became horrified. When he grabbed her clothes, her scream pierced the air. Leo stopped and blinked. His vision, he realized, was disoriented until now. He looked at her. She clearly looked frightened, and her fingers were of normal length.

"Monster!" she screamed at him. " _Hesus, Maria, Yosef!_ A monster! Help me! Help me!"

Leo stared at her, wide-eyed, paralyzed on the spot. He didn't know what to do, what to think. She struggled from his hold, but she was small compared to him.

Mrs Nils' cries were answered by neighbours coming out of the house. Leo heard plenty of sirens in the distance, moving closer. Was it the police? An ambulance? He quickly extinguished his flames, let the old woman go, and ran. But he was so tired and confused. His wounds were giving him a hard time to run. He couldn't see properly. When he was half-way down the road, he dropped on my knees and blacked out.

* * *

**\- January 2024 -**

* * *

Leo was not an Aphrodite kid. So talking his way out of the police's questions was as hard as single-handedly wrestling a heavy bronze dragon. Without any weapons, of course. Leo was recovering in a hospital when a few police officers decided to invade his room and interrogate him about what happened a few nights before. But the Mist had probably affected them since a few of the details were mortal-ized, so he had to make up new stories. He wasn't exactly good at making them.

Most of his neighbours didn't remember John de'Amore.

Most of them. The old croon remembered everything perfectly, gave testimony to the police, but they didn't buy her story because her view contrasted all the other views that the police had in their hands.

To his relief, after the interrogation, the police nodded at Leo, thanked him for his cooperation, and exited his room. They still looked doubtful and suspicious. Maybe he would get arrested. Maybe, when he gets back, Mrs Nils was probably going to bite him like a vicious bear. But Leo didn't care about that right now. He slumped on his bed, removed his respirator mask, and, hoping no fire alarm sets off, exhaled a lot of smoke he had been holding back. Air! Sweet, air-conditioned hospital air!

Someone knocked on his door. Leo sat up, put his mask on again, and waved his arms around to make the smoke disappear. "Come in," he called out.

Mari came inside of the room, holding a tiny little baby wrapped in bundles of cloth. She was closely followed by her two adopted children, who smiled at Leo and waved. Robert hopped on his bed and Edeva pushed a seat beside him and sat down.

"I heard you're in the building," Mari said. "Charles just went down to clear the papers. We're going home with baby Thea."

"That's good." Leo managed to smile. "Be safe."

"What happened back there?" Mari said, all of a sudden. "In Suncliffe? The children were there, they were involved, but they wouldn't tell me anything. No one is telling me anything."

Edeva and Robert looked at Leo with alarm. Even though they could remember clearly what happened during New Year's Eve, they still didn't understand what they were, who they were. They still didn't understand _anything_.

Leo didn't speak right away. "I think the police will tell you. They just came in and asked me a few questions. I'm sorry, but I'm not feeling well right now, Mari. I wish I could tell you everything."

Mari sighed. "That's fine." She waved a hand dismissively. The baby girl in her arms moved a little, yawned and twitched her face. She made Leo yawn, too.

"Do you want to hold her?" The mother said to him. She offered her little baby. Leo gingerly took her with his good left arm, and Mari helped him carry the baby up to his arm.

"Hey, little guy," Leo whispered. "I mean, girl." The mother and the kids laughed.

Baby Thea opened her eyes, looking at her nose before they wandered around the room. Leo poked her small nose with his thumb. She moved a little bit. She placed her hand on her face. He lifted that hand with the same thumb, watched her small little fingers curl around it. She was so…tiny.

"You okay, uncle?" Robert said. "You don't look so good."

"Huh?" Leo looked up from the baby. "Yeah, I'm fine." He handed the baby back to Mari. "As I said, I'm not feeling well."

Mari nodded. "Well, I guess we better get going. Charles is probably looking for us. See you home, Leo."

"See you." He turned to the kids. "Bye, you guys. Be safe, and watch your little sister!"

They both grinned and followed their mother out of the room. As Robert closed the door, he stuck his head out and looked at Leo. His face was serious. "Thank you for…saving us, uncle. We never got to thank you because…we're scared."

He smiled at him and waved. "Being scared is normal, kid. Now scram, before your mother makes a racket." Robert grinned and closed the door. The room was silent again.

Leo stared up at the lighted ceiling. He thought about the little baby he just held a few moments ago. How she was so tiny and adorable. Then he came to the thought of his friends. Yeah, they probably had started their own families by now. Leo knew most of his friends already have families, but his _close_ friends…

He wasn't with them right now. He wasn't part of the family.

Leo knew what he had done, but it always came down to him like a mind-blowing realization. _I ran away from home._ For reasons he chose not to voice out, not even to himself.

Maybe he was jealous that the Castels had a new daughter. Maybe he was tired because of the fight. Or maybe he was homesick.

Leo guessed he just missed home. He closed his eyes.


	3. Catching Up

**\- July 2028 -**

* * *

Leo slowly opened his eyes. He was standing in the middle of darkness. The floor below him was wooden, and the air was stale and hot. He heard people murmur somewhere. It seemed to come from every side, the indistinct hum of a crowd. He was starting to sweat. Leo moved forward, reached a hand out into the unknown. He felt a metal bar. And another besides it, and another. Beyond it was a thick dark cloth, almost like a curtain.

The talking died down. Someone was speaking, although Leo couldn't make out the words. Then the speaker shouted, "Ladies and gentlemen, the human dragon!"

The curtain was removed, and he was blinded with light. When the white spots were cleared from his vision, he realized that he was standing in the middle of a large cage. There were spotlights shining down on him. He was wearing a long white coat, with designs of red and gold swivelling around the cloth, making fire-like symbols.

The crowd around him applauded. Drums boomed. Leo held the bars of the cage. The air around him was still heavy, even though the covers were up, and it was windy. He was breathing deeply, trying to catch oxygen. But he couldn't. He was inhaling and exhaling smoke, and coughing fire. His lungs burned.

Everyone watched Leo intensely. He saw a group of children, laughing at him. He heard a baby cry in the middle of the laughter, it was louder than the children, and kept calling his name…

He woke up sweating—learned that his hair and pillow was on fire. Leo quickly threw the pillow across the living room, hitting a worktable, and the tools crashed down on the ground with a racket. Then Argos, aroused at the commotion, started barking at the worktable, grabbing the burning pillow and flailing it around the air.

Leo groaned, massaging his eyes. "Quiet down. You're going to wake up the neighbors." He threw another pillow at the canine automaton, but it hit her without a scratch. The pillow in her mouth was still burning. He remembered his hair was also on fire, so he casually patted his head.

It was gray outside, and the sun wasn't up yet. He stood up from his couch and stretched. Leo wrestled the burning pillow from Argos’s teeth and threw it in the trash bin. Probably the third pillow this week.

Leo moved out to the porch of the house and sat on the bench—taking deep breaths. Argos pushed the door and came out of the house, jumped to the vacant space on the bench and placed her bronze head on his lap. Leo patted it.

There was a mother and son walking down the street. Leo held his breath quickly, but the boy had already pointed at him. The mother slapped the boy's hand, and glared at Leo. The mother walked faster, pulling the boy behind her. Leo watched them go. Argos whimpered under his hand.

* * *

Leo found himself aimlessly walking through a new shopping centre that finished its construction a few weeks ago. He had not had the time to check out the place yet.

Everyone in his neighbourhood was having a hard time trusting him. A work of Mrs Nils, no doubt. It was hard to explain himself to the neighbors, since they were easily influenced by Mrs Nils persuasive words and seniority in the area. Leo wished he was as persuasive as her.

He was having a hard time trusting them as well, his neighbors. After all, the neighbourhood had a passing monster every month or so. He was keeping an eye for anyone new and suspicious.

At least the Santiagos were still on his side.

The Castel family had moved out a few years ago. When Leo learned that they were leaving the neighbourhood, he reminded them every day about Camp Half Blood and Camp Jupiter. Charles grew to be annoyed. They didn't say anything to Leo when they left, but the kids looked at him like they were wishing they weren't leaving their favorite bodyguard, now that they wouldn’t be having their uncle Leo around for protection. But to be honest, Leo couldn't understand what the children were trying to say to him, what meaning they wanted to convey. He hoped the kids were brought to camp when their parents realized who Ed and Rob really were.

Heh. _Hope._ It never worked for Leo. It certainly wasn't working for him right now.

The air condition in the shopping center was a relief. There weren't a lot of people here, so Leo relaxed his breathing, letting out small amounts of white smoke from his mouth and nostrils. Mall goers could mistake it as mist, since it was extremely cold here. A lot of customers had to bring coats and jackets and even mittens. He didn't know if they were happy about the air conditioning or not (probably the latter).

He didn't realize that there was someone walking towards him until he bumped into her and they both slid and fell.

"I-I'm sorry," Leo said, picking up pieces of paper that she dropped. "I didn't see you…"

"That's okay," she said, taking her bag from the ground and helping him catch the ones that were too far for him to reach. They both stood up and he handed her the documents. She smiled warmly at first, and then her lips dropped and her eyes widened. "Leo?"

Leo raised an eyebrow. Did he know her? He squinted and tilted his head. She _did_ look familiar. Then the name came to his head. "Lacy?"

She grinned. "Hey, long time no see!" She hugged him. Leo responded by just patting her back.

"Hey, girl," Leo managed to say. "What are you doing here, in Texas? I thought you would be in, like, New York or California or something."

She let go of him and straightened up, smiling. "Secret business." She waved the papers in front of him. If only Leo wasn't too dyslexic, he could have read them while I was picking them up. "I say we head to a café and catch up, like close friends."

"Sure." Leo didn't have anything to do anyway. Wouldn't hurt.

The café was a complete contrast from the whole shopping center. It was warm, cozy, and brown. At the same time, it was crowded as well. There was free wifi, so everyone had their laptops and other digital devices out. Lacy and Leo settled down on a table beside a window. She placed her documents besides her coffee.

"How is your condition?" Lacy started. "Is it…"

Leo looked at her. "I'm doing fine."

"Have you found a way to…well, to control it?"

"If you really mean _cure_ , then no. But deep breathing and fresh cool air helps me a bit. The usual exercise." He stretched out, yawned a bit. He didn't tell her that it was growing worse, affected by age.

"Have you called anyone at camp?" she said, stirring her coffee. She didn't look at him.

"Nope," he said casually. "Haven't had any contact with them for five years."

"You mean you don't want to contact them."

Leo shrugged. "Probably."

They finished their coffee talking about other trivial things. Leo asked Lacy about how Drew Tanaka was. She had apparently gone to France to become a fashion designer, a typical Aphrodite kid career as Lacy put it. Leo finally asked how everyone was doing. And by _everyone_ , he meant his own friends.

"They're doing fine." Lacy managed a smile. "There's a lot going on in Camp Jupiter, mostly deadly politics. Although, I wouldn't know for sure, that's not my division. Only a few stayed on camp, but the rest went out to start their own lives in some other places. As far as I know, Jason is one of the people staying in the camp. I mean, have you also heard? Piper has a kid now."

"Oh?" Leo placed an elbow on the table, putting his chin on his palm. "Kid must look like Jason."

"No idea what he looks like, or who his father is, but it is likely Jason, since he and Piper have been pretty close again for the past few years."

"Oh, the kid is a he?" He mused, grinning.

She smiled. "I thought they were rumours though, until I heard the news from Drew. It seems to be a well-contained secret, especially since if it’s really Jason and Piper’s kid, New Rome would probably try to recruit their kid as soon as possible because they are both like…two of the most powerful demigods walking the earth right now. Can you imagine that combination? So she’s been hiding their son from us until recently.” She sighed. “I completely understand where she’s coming from, with the secrecy and all that, but I wish Piper told me about this before; we're all supposed to stay connected, all of us Aphrodite siblings." 

She tucked her papers in her bag. "You know…it would have been good if they knew where you are. Or at least let them know how you are."

"If I did, they're going to send a search party for me." Leo laughed. Deep down, he wished they _would_ send a search party. Five years since he left the camp, and no one had come for him. He didn't hear any of them searching for him. He was no longer a kid, or a teenager _._ He was a grown man now, an adult. All decisions made were his, and he had to take full responsibility for them. No one would be looking out for Leo but himself.

Lacy took something out of her pocket and placed it in front of him. A drachma. He knew where this was going.

"Look, Lacy, it's okay," He said, raising his hands up. "I'm not a loner. I have a dog."

She squinted. Leo sighed and placed his hands down on the table. "Fine, a _robot_ dog."

"Can you talk to the dog? Can the dog talk back to you?"

"I speak automaton, thank you."

There was something in the way she looked at him. Pity, concern, he didn't know. He looked down at the drachma, which was still on the table. When he took it and placed it on his palm, Lacy smiled and nodded.

They paid for their coffee and went out. It was almost noon, and the mall was getting crowded with people walking towards restaurants and cafes. Leo straightened his back, putting his hands on his pockets.

Lacy stretched out and smiled at him again. "Well, it's time for us to part ways." She kissed his cheek. "It's nice meeting you again, Leo. See you around?"

Leo managed to smile back. He resisted the urge to touch his cheek. "Yeah. Be careful out there."

Her smile widened. She turned and walked away. Leo watched her turn to another corner. She didn't look back.

He walked out of the mall, back to the Texan sun. There was a beautiful fountain situated right in front of the mall entrance. He took out the drachma, and stared at it for a while. Then he threw it into the water, like it was a wishing fountain. The coin didn't disappear. He didn't plan on iris messaging anyone. He placed his hand back to his pockets and walked away. If there was any distressed demigod looking for communication, they could find it right here.

Leo didn't realize there that that was the last time he would see Lacy.


	4. Midnight Walk

**\- May 2033 -**

* * *

There had been a lot of rain lately in Texas. It seemed to break the summer spirit of the youth in the neighborhood, since a lot of them had been planning on spending their vacation on pools and resorts. And it was also the finals season for a lot of youngsters. The rain broke their concentration on studying (if they  _ were _ studying), but they did pray that it would rain enough for exams week to be canceled for a few days. Even a little rain could cause flash flooding, thanks to the changing climate conditions of the world. 

Leo sat down on the bench at the porch, watching the dark clouds cover the sun. He took out his pack of cigarettes and lit one with his lighter. Argos opened the door of the house and went outside, climbed up to the bench and placed her head on his lap. This was how their early mornings were spent for the past few years. Leo didn't get up for work until noon.

He put the cigarette to his lips and inhaled. He didn't like smoking. It burnt his throat, and he would probably get lung cancer, but it was the only cover up he thought that could effectively hide his breathing, and the fact that sometimes he smelled like burnt wood.

He looked at the cane beside him. It was bronze, with a ruby gem as the head. He always brought it around him. He wasn't having a hard time walking (yet), but he  _ was _ getting old. Ten years had just flashed by him without knowing. Ten years since he had left his other life.

"Lonely, you big oaf?" Leo joked to the dog. She just looked at him and then at the clouds.

Old Jeremy the mailman was running around the street, opening mailboxes and shoving mail in them. He stopped in front of Leo’s house and tipped his hat to him. Argos growled at him. Leo patted her head. "There, there, girl," he murmured to her, and forced a smile to Jeremy. Smiling was hard these days, especially to mortal-disguised monsters. They were everywhere. Some of them were harmless and were trying to adapt to mortal life, just like Leo. Others preyed on children going back from school.

Jeremy walked away, whistling. Leo placed his cigarette stub on the ashtray beside him and stood up, Argos at his tail. He was just opening the front door when he heard someone shout behind him. Leo turned and saw old Mr. Santiago, hands on his knees, gasping for breath.

The sight of seeing the chubby old man wheezing and clutching his heart sounded the alarm bells in Leo’s head. "You shouldn't be running with that condition!"

"Nevermind that." He panted. "It's Jessica and...and...her daughter...the whole family..."

"What happened?" Leo ran to help the poor man up. The dog followed him, holding his cane between her teeth.

Mr. Santiago didn't talk while Leo helped him walk to one of the houses just a few blocks away. Some of the neighbors joined them as well, but when Leo approached the door some of them glared at him before entering the house. Well, that was pleasant.

A husband and a wife sat on the wooden floor of the living room. The wife, Jessica, was trembling and sobbing, covering her face with her hands. The man kept shaking his head, looking down on the floor, his fists clenched. The telephone receiver at the table was left hanging. Mrs. Nils was on her knees, patting the woman's back. The other neighbors were standing around, mumbling among themselves.

Mrs. Nils looked up, and predictably, she sneered at Leo. "Santiago, what is  _ he _ doing here?"

Mr. Santiago placed a hand on Leo’s shoulder. He still looked breathless from all the running, but when he spoke, his words were firm and steady. "It is clear that Jessica and Marco said that everyone is welcome in this house. He has every right to be here and learn what happened, and provide support, emotional or otherwise. Everyone in this room is concerned about them as much as you, Mrs. Nils."

Leo knelt down in front of Jessica. "Can you tell me what happened?" When she didn't answer, he turned to the others. "Does anyone know?"

Some of them shook their heads, but Mr. Santiago knelt beside him. "It's Irene..."

"She has been missing since yesterday," Mrs. Nils murmured. Irene was the couple's only daughter. Third grade, straight A Student, dreaming to be a famous painter one day, as everyone in the neighborhood knew. "We have been looking for her all night. The police found her in her school. Well, not..." she hesitated. "They found her clothes."

"The police can't find the…the b-body _ , _ " Jessica spoke in shaky breaths. She revealed her face, and her eyes were really red and puffy. "Oh god, what did they do to her? What did they..." she couldn't finish. She cried out loudly, pulling her shirt collar up covering her face.

Santiago tapped Leo’s shoulder and gestured him to go with him. He pulled Leo to the kitchen. "The police want them to come to the school and help with the investigation," he breathed. Leo could see that he was stopping himself from clutching his chest. "But the couple is too distraught."

Leo put his hands in his pockets. They heard a tapping in the glass kitchen door and saw Argos pawing the window, his cane still in her mouth.

Leo turned back to the old man. "I know what you're thinking, Santiago. But sorry, I'm not going to go to the school for them. You can ask the other boys." He glanced at the living room. The neighbors were consoling the couple. "I don't think  _ they _ want me to go out and do favors for them."

"Look here, my boy," Mr. Santiago huffed. He found a chair and sat down, leaning back and taking a deep breath. "What happened ten years ago, happened ten years ago. Mrs. Nils should realize that now. I am very tired of seeing everyone accusing you. I wanted this fixed earlier. You  _ are _ innocent; you didn't hurt anyone when you accidentally burned down the house."

Of course. No one was going to remember Johnson d'Amore, the handsome friendly rich man who used to live here ten years ago. The one who kidnapped Ed and Rob to lure Leo into his den. The regular old Greek mythology monster, hunting his regular old demigod. The  _ Mist _ did its job of fixing everything. John d'Amore didn't exist to them anymore, and the house Leo burned down was just an unoccupied lot. Leo was charged for arson, but it was eventually dropped, and that was it.

He leaned on the kitchen counter and looked up. This house was the same house Charles and Mari lived in ten years ago. For a moment, he wondered where they were again. Hoped the kids were safe. It had been a long time now; maybe they realized that they were demigods and joined the demigod camps, training and doing camp stuff.

His thoughts came back to the present, looking at Mr. Santiago. "Why do you always have to defend me? I've always wanted to ask...That's not very Santiago of you."

"I'm growing old, Leo. And I know you are, too." He leaned forward. "Besides, the Harlows—" he pointed at the couple for a second, "—are on good terms with you. Come with me then, boy. I will go to the school right now. I know you were good friends with little Irene. She worried about you sometimes, you know. She wanted you to stop smoking, she told me.  _ Good breath is good health. Take mints and gums instead. _ "

For a second, Leo thought his chest was going to burst. He felt really guilty. A part of him wanted to throw up, but he took a deep breath. He felt the fire making its way out, so he swallowed it back painfully. "Something always happens to the kids I talk to," Leo managed to say. "No wonder everyone keeps the others in cupboards."

"Don't be hard on yourself. One day, maybe, you'll start your own family."

"Yeah..." Leo went to the kitchen door and unlocked it. Argos quietly went between his legs, and placed his cane down on the floor. He patted the dog. He wanted to say something, but kept stopping himself. His tongue was stuck on the roof of his mouth.

* * *

Classes in the public school Irene went to were suspended for two or three days. The teachers were getting interrogated by the police when they arrived. Some of them were crying and shaking their heads. The female officers offered consolation to these people.

Leo came to the campus with Mr. Santiago and Marco, Irene's father. The police saw them come in, quickly settled them down, asked questions, and then the inspector explained what they deduced so far.

"I'm sorry I broke the news to you on the phone," murmured the inspector, looking through his notes. "We haven't made much progress between the time we made the call and your arrival now. I'll bring you down to the gist then."

An officer came forward and handed the inspector a plastic Ziploc bag. Inside were a little girl's clothes, all bloody and shredded. Leo could make out a white shirt with small little flowers on the sleeves, and baby pink shorts. There was one shoe, laces gone.

The inspector held the bag and showed it to them. "Well, the results are in," the inspector continued. "The blood on these clothes indeed belong to Irene Harlow's. The clothes were found below the school basement. I didn't understand most of their jargon, but the people from forensics speculated that she was still alive until very recently. The worse implications of what could have happened to Irene before her death is...well, probable."

Leo clenched his fists. Marco wasn't saying anything, but his jaw was tight. Mr. Santiago patted his back. "How come you assume that she's dead when you can't find the body?"

"There was a lot of blood in the basement as well," the inspector handed it back to the officer while he took out his phone, looking through something. "Come with me, and I'll show you the crime scene. I'm going to ask you a few questions as well."

Leo followed the inspector inside the school. In the principal's office, there were some scared-looking children—probably Irene's friends—pulled out of their homes, being asked simple questions by the female police officers he saw outside. The children stuttered when they answered, and a few girls were crying, wiping their eyes with their hands. "S-she was my b-best friend," one of them said, sniffing. The officer pulled her to a hug.

Leo slowed down, going behind Santiago and Marco. Then he turned to another hallway, separating himself from the group. Ever since he had been told that Irene's body couldn't be found, he was starting to have his suspicions. And when he came here, his suspicions grew deeper. He just needed to piece them together. He needed a suspect. No problem.

He tried to look casual while walking past people, making sure the grip of his cane was slack. The school was full of investigators and policemen, and he didn't want to look like he was trying to pry to their business, even though he really was. He went out of the school building. The group of teachers was still there, all sitting close together on a bench, their heads down. He straightened up his back and walked towards them, but he tried to look like he was just passing by. He put his free hand in his pocket again. Leo’s medicine bottle was still with him. He walked a little slower when he was in their range of sight. Then he took out the bottle and dropped it on the floor. The glass shattered, and all the pills rolled away from him.

"Shit," he muttered, crouching down and taking them one by one in his palm. He was close enough for the teachers to be seen, and some of them stood up and helped him in his task. The rest watched, and he took a quick glance at each one of the teachers around him.

One of them caught his eye, looking surprised, as if Leo was some sort of new wonder. A pill rolled under him, so Leo took the chance and crawled towards him to take it. Leo didn't exactly break eye contact. He took the pill and then looked up to him, and the teacher’s expression changed: he looked really angry. Or maybe it was just frustration. Leo couldn't tell, but the one thing he was sure of and it was that he didn't like seeing Leo, and definitely didn't like him being so close.

Leo stood up. The teachers had given him the other pills and he said his thanks, wrapping his medicine in a handkerchief. He looked back at the angry teacher. His fists were clenched, and his face was red. Leo winked at him before walking away. He found his suspect.

* * *

Leo’s dog nudged her nose at his face, whining to wake him up. He opened his eyes and groaned, turning away from him. He stared at the ceiling of the living room for a few seconds. His back ached. Argos whined a lot louder, nudging her face between the gaps of his armpits.

"Move away dog, I'm awake." He tried to sit up straight on the couch. Checked the clock. Rubbed his eyes and yawned. He was just in time for his midnight stroll.

Leo stretched a bit and stood up, wobbling on his feet for a bit. He changed into a different shirt, clipped his tool belt around his hips, and wore a dark jacket to conceal it. He took his cane, and pocketed round-framed sunglasses for style. He whistled for Argos, who sat watching him from the corner of the room, and they went out of the house.

He didn't own a car, and there weren't any buses running in this hour, so he had to go on foot. He was at the school gates in an hour. It was too high for him to jump and locked on the inside. Argos, having a mind of her own, backed up a few steps and sprinted to the gate, jumping to the other side, then turned to him like it was no biggie. She stood on her hind legs and placed her paws on the gate, breaking the lock with her teeth. Leo pushed the gate, and scratched the dog's ear. "Good girl."

Leo took the risk and pick-locked the main door. The lights of the hallway were on, but most of the rooms were dark. Still, they moved slowly silently along the wall, in case there were any teachers staying overnight doing paperwork. Leo gripped his cane, and Argos's paws clinked quietly on the tiles. He heard a voice somewhere in the next hallway, and he slowed down a bit, and leaned on the wall. Footsteps came towards their direction.

It was the angry middle-aged—scratch that, Leo was middle-aged too—teacher who didn't like his space invaded when Leo went to pick up his medication near him. He turned to the hallway they were in, but the teacher didn't see Leo. He was fumbling angrily, holding a thick brown envelope tightly. Leo was watching his back when he stopped in the middle of the hall and sniffed something in the air. He stiffened.

"Who's there?" he growled. Leo scooted to the other corridor. "Show yourself, half-blood."

Leo raised his cane and held it with both hands. He wrapped his fingers around the head of the cane, unsheathing the sword hidden inside it. Argos was quiet beside him, but he could feel the fighting aura building around her.

"I know it's you, demigod," the teacher hissed. There was quivering in his voice. Maybe he wasn't expecting Leo to come, and he was unprepared. He could be afraid. Leo took out his sunglasses and placed them on his eyes. He looked down at Argos and nodded to her. She began running down to the opposite direction of the hallway he was hiding in.

Leo stepped to the teacher’s view. "Howdy."

"Of course, it's you." The teacher smiled a shaky smile. He dropped the papers on the floor. His skin peeled off (Leo hated it when they did that, it was so disgusting) to reveal orange scales, and his spine grew spikes behind him. He looked younger than his human form. His form scared Leo a bit. His appearance gave away a look of confidence, not menace. Leo was intimidated by that; he looked like he had won the game already even though it was still starting.

"No small talk?" Leo placed the cane-sheath on his belt. "I was going to ask about Irene Harlow."

"Oh yes, Irene. Very tasty demigod." His voice was younger, too, and not gruff, unlike most of the monsters Leo had met before. It sounded confident, but the tinge of anxiety was there, very subtle. "Another one is coming to the school, actually." He glanced at the papers on the floor. "Next week. You're quite popular around, Mr. Valdez—" Leo flinched at the mention of his name, "—you're a popular man in a popular place."

"Wait, let me guess." Leo tapped his chin, pretending to think. "Suncliffe Crest is a popular fishing area for you guys."

"Correct. Unfortunately the moment you arrive, you play hero among your kind."

Argos appeared at the other end of the hallway, behind the teacher, her red eyes bright. She sneaked towards his back slowly, looking ready to pounce at any moment.

"Oh, trust me, man, I'm no hero."

Argos jumped and sank her teeth at his arm. The monster growled back and swatted the dog away, but it was enough time for Leo to bring his sword down to his head. The teacher turned to him and held the blade with its hand, pushing it back towards Leo. The older demigod pulled back and aimed his sword to the monster’s side. It sidestepped, but Argos got one of its legs, making it stumble and fall to the floor. She locked its legs together and Leo stepped on his chest, aiming the tip of his blade at its face.

He whistled. "Good job, Argos." The dog barked in reply.

The teacher writhed under me. “You can’t save all of them, demigod!” It gurgled. “Some of them will be ours to eat. You can’t save all these children! Just like how you weren’t able to save your--”

Leo stomped on his chest and brought the sword down to its face.


End file.
